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Wednesday, 30 November 2011 |
 We live in strange times, times that shimmy between a bold
hopefulness and a fearful desperation.
A few years ago, our nation collapsed in an economic quagmire.
Presently the Occupy Wall Street movement stands to challenge not only the forces
that led our markets to ruin, but the government that failed to hold the guilty
to account. I can’t help but see this movement in relation to the struggles that
bled through the nations of Egypt and Lybia, and throughout the Middle East; the
ones that still haunt the lives of the Syrian and Egyptian people. I see a relationship
in the way all these movements are born of the common desire to right wrongs and
the hope that a collective power will have the capacity to overcome one that is
despotic or over-indulgent.
I do not understand enough about the Occupy movement as yet, to stand up for or against it. I do see it, however, in light of our strange times. Our market collapsed. Europe is struggling to maintain some semblance of economic stability. Scientists speak of the imminent demise of our planet through global warming. Each day, we hear of new species on the verge of—or lost to—extinction. (The Vietnamese Rhinoceros went extinct in April of this year.)
Extreme realities conjure extreme responses. In Libya, a war seemed necessary. Other protestors, like those in Egypt, achieved gains through peaceful means. Now that is being tested. I pray that the Occupy movement will find its way peacefully toward goals that reach deeper than partisan gain. The ends of these efforts are not yet told, but we can trust that they grew both from the roots of hope and desperation, as a response to strange times.
Hope does not always lead people to the best solutions or even to better realities, but it opens doors; it makes positive change possible. There is a great line from the Gospel of John, in the Bible: “A light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it.” Hope draws us closer to that light. I hope that in these strange times, you will draw closer to the light. Whether, for you, that means joining with others in the work for justice or deepening in your own practice to give and know love, may hope enable you to keep opening doors.
Rev. Anya Sammler Michael
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 29 January 2012 )
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